Kino's Journey: Dreams and Shots
by benderboyboy
Summary: Kino finds a new country and her dreams and reality and all of her past is put to the test.
1. Prolouge

Prolouge

_Prologue_

"_Kino?"_

"_What is it Hermes?"_

"_What's the best dream you've ever had?"_

"_Not sure, I never really bothered to remember."_

"_Surely you must have remembered at least one dream."_

"_Well, there is one dream."_

"_Which one?"_

"_The one I had there."_

"_You mean…"_

"_That's right. There, where dreams are reality."_


	2. Day One

Day1: Endless

Day1: Endless

_Would you stop dreaming if you have a choice?_

"Just follow this road for an hour or two and you should arrive at a great country." Kino quoted what the directions which the traveling family told him, her brown hair covered by her goggles and head wear. Her usual calm smile spread across her face.

"Are you sure Kino, for all we know there might not even be a country." Hermes said, doubting the words of the traveler. His headlight reflected the light from some invisible source as the sun hid behind the clouds.

"Relax Hermes; if there isn't a country, we'll simply turn back round." She said, driving off with the Cannon and the Woodsman pistols shaking gently in their respective holster over the stone path.

They stopped over the edge of a cliff as the road came to an end, below which was covered by a thick mist. Land could barely be seen but yes, it was there. But as for a country, even if there was one, it was nearly impossible to see through the mist. A path down laid not far to the right, the road disappearing half way down.

"Well Kino?"

"It doesn't seems like there's a country, let's head back Hermes." Kino said, placing her goggles back on.

Just as they turned round, a strong wind blew through, breaking the stillness of the air. The two turned back as a small layer of mist was blown away, showing the outlines of a wall, possibly that of a country.

"Well would you look at that!" Hermes exclaimed.

"Well, shall we?" Kino asked his partner.

Getting back onto the motorrad, they began making their way slowly down the narrow path and with each turn down, the mist grew thicker, slowly till the path could barely be seen as night steadily approaches.

"I think I'll walk from here Hermes." Kino said, getting off after a sudden stop. She could barely see the path, let alone the end of the trail. She continued on, pushing Hermes as she went along.

Kino was now deep within the mist, unable to see the sky, but the moon light shone through the thick vapor, as if one was watching the sun from under the sea. The path almost seemed endless. Passing some light stick placed by the side of the road, Kino sigh a sign of relief, confirming that there is indeed civilization down there and that the journey down was not a complete waste, just as she stepped on straight road. Straight ahead, two balls of light seemed to float above the ground, but stayed in spot.

_When does a journey never ends? When does a journey never start?_

"Well Kino?" Hermes asked, as Kino sat back on its seat.

"That maybe a gate or a signal of some sort, let's go see what it is." She said, starting the engines and reassuring that her guns are in place.

They ride on and in a few minute, they reached a gate. The giant steel gate towered over them. Intricate designs were engraved on it, and some seemed like the names of travelers. To the left and right, the wall disappeared over a distance into the mist and nothing above the gate could be seen. Kino then gently knocks the gate.

And eyehole slide opened and a man's voice came from it. "Who's there?"

"My name is Kino and this is my partner Hermes."

"Hello." Hermes greeted.

"We're travelers and were wondering if we could visit your country?" Kino continued.

"How long will you be staying?" the man asked.

"Three days. If it's okay with you, we'll be leaving the day after tomorrow."

"Okay," said the doorman. "Enjoy your stay." And the eyehole closed.

Small door slides open to the side, just big enough for Kino and Hermes to go through. They found themselves in a small corridor, greeted by a young man in uniform, probably the same person who spoke from the eyehole. His uniform was of blue long sleeve shirt and a metal breast plate. His white pant was long enough to cover his feet. A gun was kept in a holster on his right.

"My name is Tain, I'll be your guide for your stay." Said the man called Tain. "Follow me this way; I'll lead you to the city.

"Thank you." Kino said, pushing Hermes along.

They past by countless number of doors before arriving at one which was left opened. The sign outside read, 'Break Room'. Inside, three soldiers were seen resting. One on a chair, and two sleeping soundly on beds. The beds has a machine dangling above them, each were placed right over the head of the soldiers.

"Those are the Ivan Bed." Tain said upon noticing Kino little peek of the room. "We named them after Ivan Mathew, a great inventor. It allows us to have more freedom in our sleep. It allows us to move around in dreams."

"Wow! That's an amazing machine" Hermes complimented.

They group went through one last door and found themselves in a quiet street. The lights of the housings nearby were off. Strangely enough, the place wasn't covered in mist. The moon and stars could be seen clearly. They were shown to a nearby inn where Tain bade goodbye at the stairs.

"While you're here," Tain told them before he left. "You may like to try the Ivan Bed. There is one in every room. The innkeeper will show you how to work it. I'll come back tomorrow and I'll take you to our history museum."

"That sounds great, thank you." Kino said, as she pushed Hermes up the stairs, following Mr. Dain, the innkeeper.

Mr. Dain left the room after preparing the Ivan Bed as Kino took a hot shower. The room overlooked the streets and is above the nearby house, giving in much to sight.

With her usually good night, Kino slowly dozed off into her dream.

**XXX**

**"Where am I?" she stood in a plain of flowers. "This must be the effect of the Ivan Bed." She thought.**

**A small breeze blew through, lifting the petals into the air, creating a beautiful scenery of freedom. In the distance, a lone figure stood unmoving.**

**"Who's there?" Kino shouted out and the figure slowly turned around…**

**XXX**

**"Kino! Kino wake up!" Hermes voice was heard.**

**Though still giddy from her sudden pull from dream, Kino steadied herself and replied with a yawn, "What is it Hermes?"**

**"It's already morning. Mr. Dain said Tain is waiting downstairs.**

**Tell me, how do one look deeper down… when you're drowning everyday?**


	3. Day Two

Day2: Dreaming

Day2: Dreaming

"Good morning Kino," Tain greeted. "I trust that you slept well?"

"Yes," Kino replied, pushing Hermes out into the open. "it was the best sleep I had in ages."

"I'm glad that you enjoyed it."

The street was bustling with people, going on about their daily chores. The serenity experienced the night before almost seems impossible looking at the crowds now.

They moved along the streets, occasionally, a small child would come up to them, urging the group to buy the daily newspaper. Tain bought one, rolled it up a place it inside his belt.

_A dream is a dream, but where is the line between a dream and reality?_

They arrived at the museum, a piece of art itself. The stone walls build five to six times higher than Kino painted red with a nice match of yellow pillars, adorned with a few pieces of rubies which reflected the light from the sun.

"It's beautiful" Hermes commented, its headlight glimmered under the morning sun.

"Well Kino, I'll wait for you out here." Tain said suddenly.

"You're not coming with us." Kino asked, confused as she thought he was their guide.

"Well, Ivan Mathew invented many more things then just the Ivan Bed. Using his blueprints, our forefathers managed to build a fully automated gallery so you won't really need a guide." Tain explained as he took out the newspaper he bought.

Kino pushed Hermes up the step, the wheels bouncing uneasily. But with all the time they spent traveling, Hermes got used to it.

The interior of the building was not as impressive as the exterior. The wall was made of shining silver metal, nothing like the medieval look outside. A door laid shut in front of them.

They stepped on to something they thought was a carpet but it started moving forward by itself, unbalancing Kino who quickly steadied herself again. The door slowly opened and they proceeded into a dark room.

To the left, a ceiling light switched on and showed a small scaled replica of the surrounding area. A gentle male narrated voice spoke. "In a time long past, this was a barren land and was almost impossible to live in."

The light switched off and another to the right turned on. This time, there were small settlements in the replica. "But our forefathers never gave up. They have a dream to make the place one of the greatest country ever seen."

The lights switched off again and they turned a corner. The next replica to the right showed a dome being built. "After seeing the Ivan Bed invented by Ivan Mathew, the people decided to use Ivan's knowledge in technology and began building a futuristic dome."

"And soon, the Dome was complete after years of laboring by our forefathers." The voice said as another replica with a completed dome was shown. "And now, our country draws the attention of many travelers, each leaving their marks on the gates as a sign to show of the great time they had in our country…"

**XXX**

"So, did you find anything interesting?" Tain folded the paper and greeted as Kino came out of the museum.

"Yes, your county's past is really amazing. It was very informative." Kino replied with a smile.

"If you don't mind Kino, maybe you would like to sample some of our local treats?" Tain asked.

"Thanks for the offer but I feel a little tired, I think I'm just going to turn in early for the night." She said, the moon already rising.

"Alright, I understand. I'll escort you back to the inn."

"Kino?" Hermes asked.

"What is it?"

"It's barely midnight; you usually don't sleep so early."

"I know, but I'm quite interested in the Ivan Bed. I would like to have a longer dream this time." Kino replied as the group crossed a bridge and neared the inn.

**XXX**

_**She stood in the field of flowers again, the same figure stood in the distance. She walked closer as a small breeze lifted the pedals into the air.**_

"_**Who are you?" She asked calmly, noticing her guns were missing.**_

"_**My name is Kino." The man said as she drew closer, his back never turning.**_

_**Kino thought for a moment and continued, "You must be the original Kino before me!"**_

"_**There is no original, just what is real and what is a dream."**_

"_**Tell me, do you remember what's real…Sakura…?"**_

_For all we know, we are the dream…_


	4. Day Three

Day 3: Nights

22Day 3: Nights

_How do you know, when dreams and reality collides?_

_**Sakura, she hasn't heard that name for such a long time. Longer than the days she spent traveling.**_

"_**So Sakura, do you know what a dream is and what reality are?" the man asked.**_

_**She wondered for a moment, "We don't really know do we, for all we know, we're the dreams."**_

"_**That's right," the original replied. "there is no reality, for we aren't one ourselves." **_

"_**Tell me Sakura, what is your name?"**_

**XXX**

"Kino, wake up." She heard Tain's voice spoke over her.

"What's going on?" Kino asked as she woke up from her slumber. She was in a dark room, certainly not her room in the inn no more. A small light dangled from above. More beds were barely seen around her. Some people woke up and the lights turned on, then another takes their place and the lights were off again.

"Good morning sleepy head." Hermes voice sounded. The bike was right beside her bed which she soon realized was and Ivan Bed.

"Where am I?"

"Your in a sleep room, come, I'll tell you more on our way out, your three days are up." Tain said.

"You see, like in the museum, yes a dome was built." Tain explained as he led them down the endless corridors once more. "But we couldn't make a normal settlement here because of the mist. We used Ivan's blueprints and made a settlement in dreams. For some reasons, we're satisfied by the food we ate there, our body drinks as we drink in our dreams. But of course, we have to be able to tell the difference between dreams and reality so we took turns sleeping, took turns going home. Amazingly, the Ivan Bed worked for your motorrad as well."

"That's right." Hermes interrupted; his headlights were on to light some of the darker parts of the corridors.

"So…I was dreaming?" Kino asked, confused by the long explanation.

"To put it simply, yes, you were." Tain replied. "But that is our country and we like it that way. Real or not."

"Thank you, I had a wonderful time." Kino said, as she exited the gate, speaking with Tain through the small eyehole from which they first spoke.

"If you don't mind Kino, could you leave a sort of signature of yours on that gate, its sort of shows that travelers had actually came here before." Tain asked.

"Sure." Kino said calmly with a smile.

"Thank you." The guard said, closing the hole.

She took out the Woodsman and Cannon and fired three shots at the gate, each hitting in a line of quick succession. The shot rang out throughout the area.

The mist had cleared and Kino saw why the place couldn't become a proper settlement. The place was a barren land and the only plantation there was weeds and a dead oak tree. It gave the look of a desert. The path back up was further and longer than she thought she had climbed the day before.

"Well Hermes, lets get going." She said, putting on her goggles and getting on Hermes.

"Okay, so where to next?" Hermes asked.

She pondered for a moment and continued, "Wherever reality points to." And she was off, up the slope and back to the bumpy road.

"_**My name," She said, recalling her dream. "is Kino."**_

_Life and dreams goes on, as far as the sun can take you and as far as the moon can guide._


End file.
